Improvement in devices for operating street-car doors



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I vDevices for Operating Staat-Car Doors. N0.\50,QO5, Patented May12,1874.

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A E A I is UNITED STATE-s PATENT:

JOHN STEPHENSON, OF NEW YORK,` N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN DEVICES FORjOPERATING STREET-CAR ZDOORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. l 50,905. rdated May l2, 1874; application led March 17, 1874.

GASEBl B1.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, J oHN SrnnHENsoN, of

State of New York, have invented certain Improvements in the Method of `Operating Car-Doors,iof `which the following is a specification, reference being had to the-accon'lpa.4 nying drawings, in which- Figure l represents a bottoln viewor plan of a square-ended car, having my improved method of operating the door applied thereto; and Fig. 2 a vertical section of the. same as taken through the line x x of Fig l. Fig. 3 represents a plan or bottom view of a car having a semieircular extension at the rear, and door moving in a circular way, having my improved method of operating the door applied thereto, the running-gear of the car being removed; and Fig. 4 a rear elevation of the same. Figs. 5 and 6 represent bottom views of modifications of my improved method as applied to Fig. 3 or the ear with the semieircular extension; Fig. 7 a detached view of the door-leg and roller; and Fig. S a modified form of the operating-lever.

The extensive useof street-cars managed without the aid of a conductor-has created a demand for improved methods of operating the rear or entrance door of the ear by the driver while on `his stand in front. MypresH ent. invention relates solelyto an improved method of effecting this object, `and is especially adapted to ears having an inclosed eX- tension beyond the rear of theear-body, although it works equally well on cars of ordinary form.

This brauch of my improvement, and which originally formed part of Case B 1B,consists in a new and improved combination of` devices, with a roek-shaft arranged in the front of the car,.and an entrance-door in the rear,

whereby the driver, by simply turning the` rockshaft, through the instrumentality'ot'- a crank-handle or-lever arranged on one of its ends, and within convenient reach of his hand,

can open or shut the door, according to the vdirection in which he turns it, .by reason of c arm or arms Secured to its other end, and of a suitable I connection `or `connections .made between. it orthem and the door. New York, in the eountyof NewYork and To enableothers skilled in the art to .make, construct, and use myimprovement, I will now proceedto describe its `parts in detail, omit-V ting-a particular description ot' such parts of a car as are no11essentialto a full understanding `of my lpresent invention..I

In Figszl and 2 the car-is representedy as ybeing of the ordinary form-fthat is to say, of

an oblong form-and havingthe door, on being opened\and.shut,sliding in a right -line across the end of the car.. Innnediatelyat the front end, and slightly at one side of. the` sists of a stout rod, d, pivoted at one endto the outer end ofthe arm c, and at the other to'one end ofthe operating-lever c, (in this lease of angularform and having its `fulerum at or near the apex of its angle on anpivotal pin, f, fastened, by means of a plate, g, to thev bottom ofthe car. To` the Vother Aend of the Vangle-lever c is pivoted one end of another arm or-lever, h, the otherend of which is pivoted to thecnd oan arm, t', suitably attached to the door D. Inv this vcase-.the arm t is secured to one of the plates-which support the axle of the ordinary grooved rollers or sheaves a that support thev door D, and of `which there `are two, and run onta way, 0, secured to the upper-side-of the endrail of the car;` but the car may have its doors-hun g to run or roll by any of lthe` known methods, in either of which cases, however, a guideslot, m, is used,

through lwhich the leg t passesy or extends, and is then secured to the arm h, as before described. The doorthus connected with the `rock-shaft G can beinstantly opened orelosed v by simply turning the crank b in thezrequired` direction. In Figs. 3 and 4 the same device is representedas being applied to the door of a car with a curved extension, E, in rear, the door in this case being correspondil'lgly curved, and, when opened or shut, traveling in a correspondingly-curved way. rlhe device in this case simply differs in the construction or shape of the operating-lever e. In the former case it was made crooked or angular, and pivoted at the angle. In this it is straight, and pivoted at one end to the bottom of the car, and radial to the curve of the extension, its outer end being attached or rather mounted directly upon the lower end of the door-leg i, as on a pivot, and on which it is kept in place by a screw-nut or other suitable device. The con! necting-rod d in this case is pivoted to the lever e at or near its middle, according to the length ot' throw of the arm c on the end of the rockshaft C, so that it shall be able fully to open or close the door, and no more. A stop-piece, s, in both cases, is arranged at the side of the arm c to arrest its course when the door has been fully open ed or closed, to prevent unnecessary jar and shattering of the glass. This car, with its inclosed extension like the ordinary car, may have its rear door to roll or run by any of the known methods, although it is deemed better to have the rail or way o external of the car, and the door supported by two legs, t', the foot of one being bent around to form an axis for one ofthe supporting sheaves or rollers, n, and the foot. of the other leg, i, resting in the end of the lever c, which operates the door. A spur, s, secured to the inner side of this leg, forms the axis of the other or second sheave or rollers. The door, as thus connected to the rock-shaft, is operated by the driver, through the medium of the handle b, by a pull-and-push motion of the connecting-rod d, according as the dooris intended to be opened or shut. The connection between the operating lever e and the rock-shaft may be modified by using two smaller rods or their equivalents-two cords or chains, 19, Fig. G-in which case the power will be transmitted to the door both ways by a pull motion. To this end the operating-lever e should have its back end to extend beyond the fulcrum of the lever and fork, so as to re- 'ceive the two pull-connections, and so as each shall be equidistant from the fulcrum. Or it may be desirable to give its back end the form shown at w, in Fig. 6; in either event the use of such will involve the use of two arms cr a cross-head, q, on the lower end of the rockshait, as shown in Fig. 5 and 6. Orthe pullconnections, when they consist of cords or chains, may be connected directlyY to the two legs of the door, and to the cross-head q at their other ends, as shown in Fig. 5, in which ease one or two grooved friction-rolls, t, may be used with advantage as a fulcrum for the dexible levers (the cords or chains) whereby to open .or close the door, or the rolls t may be dispensed with, and the cords or chains crossed in their passage to the reverse ends ofthev cross-head. Or the door of the curved eXtension may be closed by the use of a straight pivoted lever, e, having a single rearward eX- teuson, such as that shown in Fig. 8, to-the extremity of which the outer end of the arm c of the rock-shaft may be pivoted by means of `J.- slot, while its inner end would be pivoted tothe leg or pendant 1', secured to the lower part of the door.

In this application I do not claim broadly the application of a rock-shaft to a street-car for the purpose of opening and closing its en trance-door, as such forms the subject-matter of application I3 B, of which this forms asubdivision; butl. The combination of a rock-shaft, C, carn ryin g a handle, b, and an arm, c, with a lever, c, and the entrance-door of a car, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a roclcshaft, C, earrying an arm, c, and connecting rod or lever d, with the car-door, substantially for the purpose set forth.

rlhc combination of a rocleshaft, C, carrying an arm, c, and connecting-rod d, with a lever, e, and car-door, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. rlhe combination of a rock-shaft, C, carrying two arms, Ac, and two cords or chains, 19, with a car-door, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination of a rock-shaft, C, carrying two arms, c, and two cords or two rods, p, with a lever, e, having two ends for the attachment of said cords or rods and a cardoor, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In combination with a car and car-door, a lever, e, and rod d, to operate substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. The combination of a rockshaft, C, car rying two arms, c, and two cords with a pulley or pulleys, and a car-door, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

8. The combination of an operating-lever, e, having two ends for the attachment of two cords or rods, p, with the car-door, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

9. The combination of an operating-lever, e, having a single arm or end for attachment to a single connecting-rod, d, with a candoor and with the rod d that operates it, said lever e being pivoted to the car at a point between the rod and the door, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

l0. The combination of a lever, e, pivoted at one end to the car, and at the other to the foot of the car-door, with said candoor and with a lever, d, for operating the same, said lever d being' pivoted to the lever e between its two pivotal points, substantially as andfor the purposes set forth.

11. The combination ofthe angle -lever c with the link-lever h and car-door, substantially as and. for the purpose set forth. Y

12. The combination of the rod d, anglelever e, and. link-lever h, With the car-door,

substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

13. The combination of a rock-shaft, G, carrying an arm, c, rod d, angle-lever e, and. linklever h, With a car-door, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

14. A car-door arm or leggi, with its hand or foot forming an axis for the sheave or roller that supports or suspends the car-door, in combination with the leg` fi, to which the operative mechanism is attached, substantially as set forth.

15. A car-door arm or leg, i', forming a point of" attachment for the operatiye mechanism through Which the driver opens and closes the door, substantially as set forth.

16. A car-door arm or leg, r,11aving a spur, s, forming an axis for the sheave or roller that supports or .suspends the car door, and an end forming a point of connection for the attachment of the operating mechanism through which the driver opens and. closes the door, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof' I hereunto set my hand to this speciiication.

JOHN STEPHENSON. Witnesses:

D. G. STUART, P. HANNAY. 

